Eiteljorg Museum

Indianapolis Zoo

500 W Washington St

Indianapolis, IN 46204

(317) 636-9378

As the only museum of its kind in the Midwest, and one of only two east of the Mississippi, the Eiteljorg museum is a unique and fantastic resource for students to explore both Native American and Western art, culture, and history.

There are three distinct parts to the Eiteljorg Museum. The first is the art collection. It contains works by traditional and contemporary artists such as T.C. Cannon, N. C. Wyeth, Andy Warhol, Georgia O’Keeffe, Allan Houser, Frederic Remington, Charles Russell and Kay WalkingStick.

The second part is galleries. The featured gallery is called Mihtohseenionki (The People's Place). This gallery contains preserved rare objects, historical photos, interactive displays and audiovisual technology of Indiana’s indigenous peoples—the Delaware, Miami and Potawatomi Indians. There are also other galleries that feature Native American art and artifacts from coast to coast, including pottery, basketry, woodcarvings, beadwork and apparel. There are also often traveling exhibits provided by the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI).

The third part is The Nina Mason Pulliam Education Center, which allows all guests the chance to explore Western and Native American culture through demonstrations, workshops and other hands-on activities. The Education Center houses two art studios, as well as the Stephen and Sharon Zimmerman Resource Center that makes the museum’s 5,000-volume collection available to the public. The Center’s resources, including books, DVDs, videos and more, can be accessed through the Indianapolis Marion County Public Library’s online database. Use of the museum’s Resource Center is free of charge.